Updated after the October 16 retirement

Microsoft Whiteboard alternatives: what to use now that the apps are gone

The standalone Microsoft Whiteboard apps for Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android stopped working on October 16, 2026. If you used Whiteboard with a personal Microsoft account, your boards can no longer be edited. Here is what changed, how to keep what you made, and which free replacements fit people who draw with a pen.

Updated October 17, 2026

An Instaboard board with a hand-drawn mind map of a spring fair next to lists of ideas, decisions and next steps — A real Instaboard board: sketch with the pen, then turn the sketch into lists. Open it and it's yours to edit. Swipe to see the whole board.

The short answer

Work or school account: you may not need to switch. Microsoft says Whiteboard keeps running in Teams and on the web.
Personal account: you need a new app. Export each board as an image first (Settings → Export image). No other app can import Whiteboard files.
Free picks for drawing together: Instaboard (us), Excalidraw and Miro. Instaboard is the one built for pen, cards and lists on the same board, on every device.

What Microsoft changed, and when

Microsoft first said personal accounts would lose Whiteboard in August, then moved the dates. These are the dates on Microsoft's own pages as of October 2026:

Date	What happened
September 25, 2026	Personal Microsoft accounts can no longer create or edit whiteboards. Older boards still stored in Azure became read-only.
October 16, 2026	The standalone Windows, iOS and Android apps retire for everyone. Opening them shows a retirement notice. Remaining legacy Azure boards are deleted.
November 30, 2026	The old Azure Whiteboard service shuts down.

Work and school accounts keep Whiteboard on the web, in Teams meetings and chats, and as .whiteboard files in OneDrive.

Microsoft hasn't named a replacement for personal accounts. Microsoft Loop is a page-and-document tool, not a canvas. The new Microsoft Ink Canvas app (October 2026) is for drawing on your own; it doesn't document live collaboration.

Save your boards before you switch

Open each board you want to keep, while you still can.
Go to Settings → Export image and save the PNG.
Repeat for every board. There is no bulk export, so start with the boards you actually reuse.
In your new app, drop the images onto a board and keep working on top of them.

No app can import Whiteboard files

Exports are flat images, so your strokes won't come back as editable ink anywhere. A free Windows tool called SQLBI Whiteboard can open the exported ZIP, but it doesn't sync between computers.

On Instaboard you can drop the exported images onto a board and draw on top of them. The free plan allows 3 images per board; Pro removes the limit.

What to look for in a replacement

We read the threads where Whiteboard users asked what to move to (r/Windows11, r/Surface, r/Office365, r/TutorsHelpingTutors and Microsoft Q&A). The same needs came up again and again:

Pen that feels right. Pressure, palm rejection, the pen's side button, straight lines.
Drawing together, live. Several people writing on the same board at once, not taking turns.
Everything on one canvas. Screenshots, PDFs and notes next to the drawing, with room to keep going.
Your devices. Surface and Windows, but also iPad, Android tablets and a laptop browser.
A free plan you can live on. Many tools cap you at three editable boards.
Something that will last. After Jamboard (2024) and now Whiteboard, people don't want to move a third time.

The alternatives side by side

App	Free plan	Paid from	Draw together live	Works on
Instaboard	5 boards, 150 cards and items (pen strokes don't count), unlimited collaborators	$5/mo billed yearly	Yes, with live cursors and video calls on the board	Any browser, iPhone, iPad, Android
Miro	Unlimited boards, but only 3 stay editable	$8/member/mo (yearly)	Yes	Browser, Windows, Mac, iPad, Android
FigJam	3 FigJam files	$3/mo collab seat	Yes	Browser; iPad through the Figma app
Excalidraw	1 scene, saved in your browser	$6/user/mo	Yes, by link	Browser
Zoom Whiteboard	3 editable boards	Add-on from $2.07/user/mo	Yes, but everyone needs a Zoom account	Zoom apps, browser
OneNote	Free with a Microsoft account	—	Shared notebooks, not a live canvas	Windows, Mac, iPad, Android, browser
Apple Freeform	Free	—	Yes, with Apple accounts	Mac, iPhone, iPad only
Concepts	Free sketching	$4.99/mo	No	iPad, Android, Windows

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Prices and limits from each app's official pricing page, checked October 2026.

Our picks, and who each one is for

Instaboard: pen, cards and lists on one board (that's us)

Instaboard is a free infinite whiteboard that also plans. Write with a pressure-sensitive pen or Apple Pencil, then put cards, checklists and lists right next to your sketch. Hold the pen still to straighten a line, use the stylus side button to erase, and turn on stylus mode so your finger scrolls while the pen draws. Others see your pen live, follow your view and talk to you in a video call on the board.

Where it falls short: the eraser removes whole strokes, not parts of them. People you share with need a free account to write (anyone with the link can view). There's no Windows app; on Windows it runs in the browser.

Excalidraw: the simplest free sketchpad

Excalidraw is great for quick diagrams with a mouse and joins by link without accounts. The free version keeps one scene in your browser's storage, which can be cleared, so it's not where you keep a library of boards.

Miro: the big team whiteboard

Miro has the deepest feature set for business workshops and runs everywhere. On the free plan only your three most recent boards stay editable, and it has no offline mode.

OneNote: if you only need ink on your own

OneNote is free with a Microsoft account and great for handwritten notes. It's a notebook, not a shared canvas, so it doesn't replace drawing live with someone.

Apple Freeform: if everyone is on Apple devices

Freeform is free and lovely with Apple Pencil, but everyone needs an Apple device and an Apple account.

Start from the ready board

It opens in your browser in a few seconds, with nothing to install. Sign in for free when you want to save it and share it.

iPhone & iPad app Android app

Questions

Is Microsoft Whiteboard being discontinued?

The standalone Windows, iOS and Android apps retired on October 16, 2026. For work and school accounts, Whiteboard continues on the web, in Teams and as files in OneDrive. Personal Microsoft accounts can no longer create or edit whiteboards.

Can I import my Microsoft Whiteboard boards into another app?

Not as editable boards. Whiteboard only exports images (PNG), and no other whiteboard app reads its format. You can place the exported images on a new board and keep drawing on top.

What is the best free Microsoft Whiteboard alternative for a Surface Pen or Apple Pencil?

If you want to draw with others live, Instaboard has a pressure-sensitive pen, stylus mode and live collaboration on the free plan. If you only draw for yourself, OneNote or Microsoft Ink Canvas on Windows and Freeform on iPad are good free options.

Does Instaboard work on Windows?

Yes, in any modern browser on Windows, including Surface devices with a pen. There are also apps for iPhone, iPad and Android.

Is Instaboard free?

Yes. The free plan includes 5 boards, 150 cards and items across your account (pen strokes don't count), unlimited collaborators and 60-minute video calls. Pro is $5 a month billed yearly ($59.99 a year), or $7.99 monthly.